iSplit Divorce™

iSplitLite, iSplit Divorce, and iSplit Divorce Pro represent a new kind of Mobile App that helps you, when dividing up your assets and debts, to make visual decisions about “who gets what” more quickly, with less adversity and acrimony.

Using the Apps

Making Best Use of the iSplitLite™ and iSplit Divorce ™
Mobile Application

Divorce is a terrible process, right? No one thinks it’s going to happen…even divorce lawyers (yes, there’s research to support that: part of the “Optimism Bias”).

On these pages, I would like to offer you some thoughts about how to manage the divorce process — both the emotional and the legal — in a way that might be more humane and compassionate. Let’s first take a look at the mechanical things that we can address and, then, let’s look at some negotiating ideas.

The three main activities of dissolving a marriage — how we share custody of the children, how we “support” each other, and how we split up our “stuff” — is, at best, a troubling, painful process.

iSplitLite™ and iSplit Divorce™ work to help at one of these three main activities: splitting up stuff. By creating multiple configurations — what happens if you take the car and the house? — the App helps the parties explore possibilities in real-time. No spreadsheets. No abstractions.

The beauty of the iSplit™ apps, I think, is that it allows you to see concrete stuff right there on the screen: move pieces of the stuff — boats, rings, appliances — around and see what happens. Save it as a configuration (Standard, Premier and Pro versions) and you can go back to it.

If I were to give some advice — from years of consulting, therapy, etc. — I’d say this: try out a few scenarios and, then, let it sit. Let it percolate over the course of a few weeks or so. Come back to the App and try a new configuration and see how that feels. Leave it alone for a couple of days (hours?) and, again, come back to it.

The metaphor of “peeling the onion” is quite apt: there are emotional and psychological layers that need to be addressed as you go through the process. It might be best to assume that arriving at any settlement could be a several month process. (Some couples drag it out into years!)

How to negotiate? This might sound dumb but…first try identifying the things that you agree on. Yes, instead of the “sticky” stuff — the house, the kids, the cars — focus on the stuff that you can agree on.

In my case, there were a bunch of things I didn’t care about: the living-room or bedroom furniture (except for my dresser); the kitchen utensils (with the exception of my favorite chef’s knife); the bed.

So, there was never, really, any discussion about those items: those decisions or initial inclinations formed the basis for the agreements of what to do with the rest of the stuff.

Once two parties, that might even be adversaries, are able to create some “common ground,” there’s a psychological barrier that gets overcome. Emotional momentum starts to build that feels, internally, something akin to: “Hey, we can do this!” Or, “Hey, I can do this.”

iSplitLite™ and iSplit Divorce™ are communications and decision-making tools. They are not a blunt instrument but they are not precision machines, either. You’re dealing with emotions and practical issues: this is a tough spot for humans. If you can recognize that and hold it, you’ll be further ahead. Compassion, for yourself and for others, is always a positive step.

What They Say

Some of Our Customers Speak

This app should be called lickity split, for before you know it you are done!! This is a superb concept, brilliantly executed. So simple that a child could do it. The hardest part is just determining the value of your assets, which you would have to do if you hired a lawyer anyway. The fact that it instantly keeps track of the total values for each section– his, hers, undecided– is amazing. No more calculators. Just plain facts.

-George Cheong, Owner Infinity Law Group LLC

I have played with and recently used this App in Meditation. Graphic and flexible, it’s very promising. There is nothing else like it and this, in and of itself is exciting. On the iPad… icing on the cake…

-Mark I. Unger

In 20 years as a divorce lawyer, this is the most effective software tool for the division of assets and debts I’ve found . Using graphics simplifies the process and makes it easier to communicate. I use it in settlement negotiations to illustrate the offer on the table. Its also useful in mediation or even meetings with clients to work though options. With the iPad and a VGA adapter, it will make for very effective presentations in court.

-Eric Ballinger, Canton, Georgia

Contact Us

iSplit™ is located in Northern California, Pacific Standard Time. You can reach our Support function via email: just click here if you have questions that the FAQ doesn’t answer and we will gladly get back to you within 24 hours, guaranteed.

Send your phone number along if you want to be called. We’re still doing market research so…it might be nice to talk with you.

iSplit™ FAQ

iSplit™: Frequently Asked Questions

Our Mission is to help you reduce the cost, minimize the pain and streamline the decision-making process of dividing up assets and debts acquired in the marriage.

Below are some general conditions or problems that you can get into by using iSplitLite™ or iSplit Divorce™. If these answers don’t address your problem, please contact us by clicking here to send us an email requesting Support.

Too Confusing

When you open up the App, it might seem like there’s a lot there on the screen; while we try to keep the thing simple, it can be overwhelming.

The icons represent assets and debts in ten different categories (mirrors the categories that the Courts are looking for).

The four quadrants represent the assets and debts from two parties: a husband and wife or two life partners. The top half (hemisphere) is for assets; the bottom is for debts.

Can’t Change Names

If you want to change the name of a part from the set “Dick” and “Jane,” simply “long touch” on the name and a menu will help you “Select All” and then “Cut.” You can then type in the name(s) you want.

Can’t Move Assets to Lower Level

If you can’t move an asset to the debt hemisphere, it’s because that is not an allowed function. Assets stay above the median line; debts stay below. If you want to create a debt, touch “New Asset / Debt” in the top menu bar. On the next screen where you can create an asset or debt, select the Category field and choose either “Secured Debt” or “Consumer Debt.”

Configuration Not Realistic

The “Loaded Configuration” on the main screen (Partition) serves as a starting point. Usually, most couples have a vehicle (or two), a house, a mortgage, a credit card (or two), some furniture, a TV. You might even have a trailer or an RV. So, that’s what we’ve started with; if the configuration doesn’t fit your situation, you can simply delete all the icons (long touch, then select “Delete”) and, then, start from scratch.

The App Crashes, Doesn’t Work

If the App shuts down without any warning, there is either a bug or something has gotten corrupted on your iPad. The easiest solution to this is to do a hard reset on your device: hold down the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button until the Apple logo appears, then release.

Sometimes, there are software / hardware interactions that are not fatal but require that you start fresh. It’s best to remove and re-install iSplit™, follow the basic instructions here:

long touch the iSplit™ icon on your iPad

when the App starts to “wiggle,” press the black “x” on the iSplit™ App icon (this will bring up the prompt at right which will allow you to remove the App from the iPad)

two options from here: 1) go back to the App Store, and download the App, or; 2) connect your iPad to a computer running iTunes and on the “Apps” tab in iTunes, check the iSplit App and then click “Apply;” iTunes will then re-install the App on your iPad.

Can’t Change Names

If you want to change the names of the parties, simply do a “long touch” on the name you want to change. A menu offering you three options: Select, Select All, Paste. (See screenshot at right.)

Can’t Get Back to Partition Screen

Any change you make in the “Partition” (the main) screen is automatically saved. When you press the “configuration” button, you can change the name or duplicate the name of the configuration. Simply press on the configuration you want to edit and there will be a momentary blue flash on that configuration; then, you will go back to the Partition screen.

Doesn’t Work On iPhone

The App is designed to work on an iPad. The screen requirements and the number of items really require a tablet versus a smartphone to work effectively for the user. If you try installing it on your iPhone, you will receive a warning message that the App will not function on the iPhone.

Can’t Move Icons Around

In some cases, you might not be able to move icons (assets and debts) around the screen. It is possible that you imported a configuration (a proprietary iSplit™ file) from another iSplitLite™ or iSplit Divorce™ user. If that is the case, only Premium Version users can manipulate the icons in that file. If you have iSplitLite™ or the Standard Version of iSplit Divorce™, this configuration is “read only.”

If these answers don’t address your problem, please contact us by clicking here to send us an email requesting Support.

The App: Its Genesis

How I Dreamed This Up

All things, especially those that have some creative element, have a beginning. iSplitLite™ and iSplit Divorce™ has its origins in a school of thought (Montessori) coupled with a practical need: to divide up some stuff. A bit more of the story, if you’re interested (how silly of me; of course you’re interested…why else would you be reading this?):

Maria Montessori

In 1993, my son was in a Montessori pre-school near the Fox River in Geneva, Illinois — a suburb of Chicago and a train stop on the commuter rail– that was suffering from a financial and leadership collapse. (My son is now 23 years old; I was thirty nine at the time.)

Somehow, I got intimately involved, helped to turn around the operation and made it a stellar institution which, now, emanates respect for all: children; teachers; parents; neighbors. Until 1998, I remained involved with that school and, in the process, learned about Maria Montessori’s gift to humanity. Among those gifts was the idea that humans need practical, concrete materials for learning.

I still reminisce on the chance to do something good there and apply some progressive and wacky business management principles. It is another piece of evidence of how I’ve been lucky.

In 2010, faced with the practical realities of my second divorce, I took a page from my Montessori experience and developed some new tools for me and my ex-wife to divide up our assets. (Yes, I feel privileged that we had some assets to divide up.) Those “tools” — cards of differing sizes to represent the proportional value of assets — were the genesis of this Mobile Application.

It was clear to me that this one small piece of innovation might have some value to a group of users: people who were in turmoil and needed just a small bit of help through some organizing device. And, that it might have some market value, too. Sue me: I’m a capitalist. A compassionate capitalist, though.
With the help of Marian Brostean in Timisoira, Romania, a talented software engineer, astute businessman and all-around good guy, the dream of a robust offering was realized. Without Marian, his attention to detail, his persistence and integrity, my dream would never have been realized. Kudos to Mr. Brostean.

Oh, getting the App going…it didn’t hurt that, after the financial meltdown that led to the Great Recession, I was, pretty much, out of work.

Press

iSplit Divorce™, already enjoying popularity since its introduction in September 2012, was the launchpad for APG Mobile Applications new App, iSplit Divorce Pro™ now in Apple’s App Store.

Using its revolutionary “visual computing” interface, iSplit Divorce Pro™ uses icons and the “drag and drop” features of tablet computers to help with reduce the pain and increase the efficiency of the process of splitting up assets and debts.

iSplit Divorce Pro™ is a completely redesigned App (iPad) created with the legal professional in mind. In development for two solid months, “Pro” promises to help lawyers get out from behind their desks and actually work with their clients in a collaborative way.
This is one of the new trends in Family Law: a collaborative approach.

Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, George Moskoff, says: “People going through a divorce need the kind of support and assurance that a good attorney can provide; the good ones make you feel more confident about your prospects.” That’s why iSplit Divorce Pro™ will have such an impact, he says, because it allows the attorney to actually work with the client…on the other side of the desk.

Moskoff, a Brooklyn-born inventor, business consultant and entrepreneur could see the opportunity while going through is own marriage’s dissolution in 2011. The lack of systems and old paper forms was too slow and abstract for him, he says.

What makes iSplit Divorce™ such a unique product? Moskoff says, “…it’s visually based so it’s easy to see who’s getting what and what it’s all worth…in realtime. It’s the opposite of abstract.” While it reduces confusion and increases the efficiency of decision making, it also reduces the amount of time that attorneys have to spend dealing with the splitting assets/debts process, saving the clients money in professional fees and lawyers headaches.

Available since early September 2012, the consumer versions have seen App sales steadily climb: “we’re now supporting customers on five continents,” Moskoff offered.

The App for lawyers (Pro) is priced at $19.99 per client with unlimited “configurations” or scenarios available for each client. All data from these “distributions” can be output to a spreadsheet or proprietary file and are completely secure: the App doesn’t talk to any other systems or get data from any sources, such as Facebook or GPS, so the data is kept safe. No data is collected from the user, either.

Prospects for sales are good, says Moskoff: “For for the week ending November 9th, downloads of iSplit Divorce™ were up 683% over the previous week…so there is momentum.” Moskoff hopes the Pro version will be attractive, too.

For the consumer, there are three versions: Lite; Standard, and; Premium. iSplitLite™ is free. The Standard version is $9.99 and premium checks in at $14.99. The high end version offers all the bells and whistles the bells and whistles the company has created so far.

Moskoff, now living in northern California, credits the plethora of collaborative lawyers and mediators with the encouragement to develop the company’s products. “It’s an environment where the traditional adversarial relationships sort of dissolve away which lends itself nicely to the creation of some new ideas and tools.”

Using a new technology called “visual computing,” Moskoff has, according to Jerry Gladstone, Founder and First Executive Director of Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster (the current home of APG Mobile Apps). “created a new way for users to interface with a very dry and old fashioned spreadsheet type application,” says Consultant and Engineer Gladstone.

Populated with colorful and fun (yes!) icons, the user gets to drag and drop and see, immediately, the product of the changes. (Some of the charm comes from digital artists in Romania: some say it has a “Euro-chic” look). Adds Gladstone, “the App really provides the ability for the user to answer all the ‘what if’ questions that come up.”

“It just seemed like the logical way to organize the process,” says Moskoff when asked about how he came up with the design. These comments are similar to what Moskoff offered in his NPR affiliate interview in September 2012. To see a short video of the App in action, go to: http://youtu.be/CTjNJM3gd_w

iSplit Divorce™, iSplitLite™, iSplit Divorce Pro™, and Kids Self Evaluate™ are products of APG Mobile Applications (http://apgmobileapps.com), the nation’s leader in visual computing for mobile devices. The company is headquartered at the NorthBay iHub Tech Incubator at the Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster in Rohnert Park, California. APG Mobile Apps supports customers on five continents with their leading-edge products.

New iPad App for Divorce Market Helps Split Assets and Debts

The benefits: 1) divorcing couples can now get the conversation started of “who gets what” more easily resulting in a shortened, less painful and acrimonious experience; 2) the elapsed time for making decisions is shortened.

“Instead of cumbersome, slow and abstract paper forms, iSplit Divorce™ allows divorcing couples to see ‘who’s getting what’ in realtime through a very graphic interface,” says founder, CIO and techpreneur George Moskoff.

Debts and assets are recalculated and “configurations” are saved automatically as icons are moved around the screen and assets and debts are “split–” the App can go way beyond 50/50 with a “slider bar.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are more than 1,000,000 divorces (50% of first marriages) annually in the U.S. and similar numbers in developed countries. APG MA is currently supporting customers in five continents: Asia, North America, Central America, Oceania and Europe.

The App is well positioned for the emerging niche of collaborative law and allows sharing of the data across multiple platforms for users, family lawyers, mediators, etc.

Three versions of iSplit™ are offered: Lite (Free); Standard – $9.99 and Premium ($14.99). Each version offers an increasing level of sophistication, complexity and sharing options. The next major version, iSplit Divorce Pro™, will be marketed to family law attorneys who can use the App with their clients. That Version will be available on November 15, 2012.

iSplit™ is part of a suite of five mobile apps that APG Mobile Applications is now developing for the Marital Dissolution niche. All of these Apps help to increase the efficiency of the dissolution process, reduce the cost (legal fees) and minimize the emotional pain. APG MA is also developing Apps for at-risk school-aged children.

About Us

We are a humble group of servants from across the globe. Our Mission is to help the people of this planet save themselves and each other from cynicism, psychological, financial and material annihilation.

Our Founder, George R. Moskoff, is trained as a scientist who has had a deep interest in human psychology since 1978. Multiple forms of therapeutic tools have been explored as he has worked to understand why humans behave the way they do.

A friend and protege of the late M. Scott Peck, M.D., Moskoff credits Peck’s Community Building model with a significant transformation in his own life and living. Moskoff has also studied Imago Therapy, Open Space Technology, Yogic Principles and Non-Violent Communications (NVC).

iSplit™ Upgrade

Thank you for using iSplitLite™ or iSplit Divorce™. I hope they’re helping.

If you’re using the “Lite” version, click here to upgrade to “Standard” or “Premium” Versions.

In the “Lite Version”, you can rearrange and create as many assets and debts as you want. When you want to share that configuration, you’ll be able to send an email with a summary of the assets, debts and net value.

If you’re a “Standard Version” user, you will be able to:

create and save up to five configurations or scenarios

output to a spreadsheet (CSV) file (can be submitted with your paperwork to the Courts)

output to a proprietary iSplit Divorce™ file (so that someone else can look at the configuration)

import a proprietary iSplit Divorce™ file in “read only” mode

If you are a “Premium Version” user, you will be able to:

create and save as many configurations or scenarios as you want

output to a spreadsheet (CSV) file (can be submitted with your paperwork to the Courts) [same as Standard Version]

output to a proprietary iSplit Divorce™ file (so that someone else can look at the configuration) [same as Standard Version]

import a proprietary iSplit Divorce™ file and edit that file [Upgrade from Standard]

About iSplit™

iSplitLite™ is an iPad based tool that helps divorcing couples split up their marital assets/debts by using the “drag and drop” feature of Apple’s Mobile platform. Move icons around and the program automatically re-calculates for you.

iSplitLite™ will save you enough in legal costs to pay for the purchase of your iPad.

Blog: Posts from CIO, Founder George R.

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